1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a position of a cutting blade in an operation with a machine tool, and an apparatus suitable for carrying out the method. It is noted that the present invention is applicable to any kind of cutting blades. The cutting blade may be constituted by the entirety of a cutting tool, for example, where the cutting tool consists of a solid tool which is provided by a single piece, or may be constituted by a portion of a cutting tool, for example, where the cutting tool includes a main body and a cutting tip or insert. In the latter case, the cutting blade is constituted by the cutting insert, which is removably attached to the main body.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In an operation with a machine tool, a cutting blade and a workpiece are moved relative to each other, whereby the workpiece is machined or cut by the cutting blade, so as to form a final or intermediate product having desired configuration and dimension. In the operation, a relative position of the cutting blade and the workpiece has to be appropriately controlled, for surely obtaining the desired configuration and dimensions. For example, in an automatic machine tool such as a numerically controlled machine tool in which a movement device for moving at least one of the cutting tool and the workpiece is controlled in accordance with a predetermined program, the relative position of the cutting blade and the workpiece has to be accurately detected. Namely, it is necessary to accurately obtain a distance, as viewed in each of directions parallel to controlled axes of the machined tool, between a predetermined portion of the workpiece (e.g., a reference point in the workpiece which point serves as an origin of coordinates for a cutting program), and a cutting point of the cutting blade when the cutting blade and the workpiece are positioned relative to each other in a predetermined position (e.g., a xe2x80x9cmachine home positionxe2x80x9d which is a known position within a machining space of the machine tool). To this end, prior to an actual cutting operation, there is conventionally required a step in which a touch probe (i.e., a detecting prove of a touch sensor) or a cutting blade is brought into contact with an object (e.g., a master workpiece, and a reference portion of the machine tool), and the relative position of the touch probe (or the cutting blade) and the object upon contact of the touch probe (or the cutting blade) with the object is read out from a position detecting device. In the cutting operation, the relative position of the cutting blade and the workpiece is controlled by controlling the movement device on the basis of the read-out contact position which serves as a reference position.
The present invention is applied to an apparatus and a method of detecting the relative position of a cutting blade and a workpiece, by bringing the cutting blade into contact with the object, without using a touch sensor. For example, where an automatic lathe such as a NC (numerically controlled) lathe is used as the machine tool for cutting an outer circumferential surface of the workpiece, a cutting point of the cutting blade is brought into contact with a surface of the object, by moving the cutting blade and the workpiece relative to each other in a radial direction of the workpiece. When the cutting point of the cutting blade is brought into contact with the surface of the object, the position of the cutting point and that of the contacted surface of the object is coincident with each other as viewed in the radial direction. Therefore, if a relative position of the contacted surface and the workpiece is known, it is possible to accurately form the workpiece into a product having desired configuration and dimension, by controlling the relative movement of the cutting blade and the workpiece on the basis of the contact position in which the cutting point of the cutting blade is brought into contact with the contacted surface of the object.
Also where a milling machine or a machining center is used as the machine tool for cutting a workpiece with a rotary cutting tool, the workpiece can be formed into a product having desired configuration and dimension in substantially the same manner as described above. However, in a cutting operation with a machining center, it is common that the rotary cutting tool and the workpiece are both moved so that the relative movement required for the cutting operation is obtained by combination of the movements of the cutting tool and the workpiece, although there is a case where only the rotary cutting blade is moved while the workpiece is held stationary. Where the rotary cutting tool and the workpiece are both moved, the relative movement is controlled by controlling a workpiece movement device for moving a workpiece holding member (e.g., a work table) which holds the workpiece, and also a tool movement device for moving a tool holding member (e.g., a headstock) which rotatably holds a spindle into which the cutting tool is received. When the rotary cutting tool is brought into contact with an object so as to detect the relative position as the contact position, the rotary cutting tool and the object are moved toward each other with or without the rotary cutting tool being rotated. Where the rotary cutting tool is brought into contact with contacted object with the rotary cutting tool being rotated, it is possible to determine, as the contact position, the relative position in which the object is brought into contact with one of cutting points of respective cutting blades of the cutting tool which one has a lager radial distance from the axis of the cutting tool than the other cutting points. This is advantageous, particularly, in a case where a difference among the radial distances from the respective cutting points to the tool axis has been increased, for example, due to wear of the cutting points as a result of a long service of the cutting tool.
Where the touch sensor is used for obtaining the above-described contact position, a required cost for the apparatus is increased due to expensiveness of the touch sensor itself. Further, the use of the touch sensor is likely to cause a reduction in accuracy of positioning of the cutting blade unless a positional relationship between the touch sensor and the cutting blade is accurately known. These problems could be resolved by using the cutting blade in place of the touch sensor. However, the use of the cutting blade provides a risk of damaging the cutting blade, the object or holders holding the cutting blade and the object, unless the contact of the cutting blade with the object is surely detected. For detecting the contact of the cutting blade with the object, there is conventionally used an electric circuit including the cutting blade, the object and a power source which are arranged in series. When the cutting blade and the object are separated from each other, the electric circuit is open without an electric current flowing therethrough. When the cutting blade is in contact with the object, the electric circuit is closed whereby an electric current flows therethrough. In this arrangement, it is possible to momentarily detect the contact of the cutting blade with the object, and accordingly detect the contact position, by detecting a state of the power source with a detector, namely, by detecting the electric current flowing from the power source with a current detector. However, in the event of a failure of the power source or the detector, or a trouble with disconnection of lead wires of the electric circuit, the contact of the cutting blade with the object would not be detected, whereby the cutting blade and the object are further forced to each other, causing the above-described risk of damaging the cutting blade, the object or members holding the cutting blade and the object.
Even without the above-described failure or disconnection trouble, the use of the cutting blade for the contact with the object would suffer from various problems. For example, the contact of the cutting blade with the object is likely to cause xe2x80x9cchippingxe2x80x9d of the cutting blade, or otherwise damage or undesirably cut the object. That is, the cutting blade is likely to chip where the contact is made without rotation of the cutting blade or the object, while the object is likely to be damaged or undesirably cut where the contact is made with rotation of the cutting blade or the object. If a member having an extremely high degree of hardness is used as the object in the interest of avoiding undesirable cut of the object, the cutting blade would be worn or chipped more easily. Another problem is caused where the entirety of the cutting blade or at least the cutting edge of the cutting blade is provided by a material having a high degree of electric resistance or a material having substantially no electrical conductivity. That is, where the cutting blade is made of a ceramic material, or where the cutting edge is made of a diamond sintered body or CBN (cubic boron nitrides) sintered body, its is extremely difficult or impossible to detect the contact of the cutting blade with the object.
Further, the conventional technique for detecting the contact of the cutting blade with the object suffer from some other drawbacks, for example, where the cutting blade attached to a holder of the machine tool is a wrong cutting blade which is not a cutting blade designated in a cutting operation program. More specifically, in a case where the cutting blade is provided by a replaceable cutting insert of a cutting tool used for a lathe cutting operation, if the cutting blade is a wrong cutting blade (i.e., a wrong cutting insert), the wrong cutting blade is likely to be brought into contact with an unexpected portion of the workpiece in the lathe cutting operation, whereby the cutting blade or the workpiece could be damaged, or the workpiece could not be formed into a product having desired configuration and dimension. In a case where the cutting blade is provided by a rotary cutting tool used for a milling operation, the position of the axis of the rotary cutting tool relative to the workpiece is controlled during their relative movement in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the rotary cutting tool, i.e., in X- or Y-axis direction. Thus, in such a milling operation, if the wrong rotary cutting tool has a diameter different from that of a correct rotary cutting tool, the workpiece is likely to be cut by the wrong rotary cutting tool with a radial depth of cut which is smaller or larger than a desired value, thereby making it impossible to form the workpiece into a product having desired configuration and dimension, and also even causing a risk of damaging the rotary cutting and the workpiece. It is needless to say that the same problems would be encountered where the wrong rotary cutting tool has an axial length different from that of a correct rotary cutting tool, since the workpiece is likely to be cut by the wrong rotary cutting tool with an axial depth of cut which is different from that a desired value.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve the reliability of a detection of contact of a cutting blade and an object, in techniques for detecting a contact position in which the cutting blade and the object have been brought into contact with each other, and then controlling a relative position of the cutting blade and a workpiece that is to be cut by the cutting blade, on the basis of the detected contact position. In other words, the object of this invention is to eliminate or minimize the above-described problems or drawbacks encountered in the conventional techniques.
The above object may be achieved according to any one of the following modes of the present invention, each of which is numbered like the appended claims and depends from the other mode or modes, where appropriate, to indicate and clarify possible combinations of elements or technical features. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the technical features or any combinations thereof which will be described for illustrative purpose only. It is to be further understood that a plurality of elements or features included in any one of the following modes of the invention are not necessarily provided all together, and that the invention may be embodied without some of the elements or features described with respect to the same mode.
(1) A method of controlling a relative movement of a cutting blade and a workpiece which are moved relative to each other by a movement device in an operation with a machine tool, the method comprising a step of bringing the cutting blade and an object into contact with each other, by moving at least one of the cutting blade and the object toward each other by the movement device, and a step of controlling the relative movement on the basis of a relative position of the cutting blade and the object which is detected by the movement device upon the contact of the cutting blade and the object with each other, the method further comprising:
a checking step of checking if a contact detecting device for detecting the contact of the cutting blade and the object is in a normal condition in which the contact detecting device is capable of detecting the contact when the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other; and
a contact determining step of determining that the cutting blade and the object have been brought into contact with each other, in accordance with an output provided by the contact detecting device.
In the present method, at least one of the cutting blade and the object is moved toward each other for achieving their mutual contact, after or while it is checked if the contact detecting device is held in the normal condition in which the contact detecting device is capable of detecting the contact of the cutting blade and the object when they are actually brought into contact with each other. This arrangement is effective to prevent failure to detect the actual contact, making it possible to avoid a dangerous situation in which the above-described at least one of the cutting blade and the object is further moved toward each other even after the actual contact, causing a risk of damaging the cutting blade, the object or holders holding the cutting blade and the object. The movement device is controlled to immediately stop the movement toward each other, in response to the detection of the contact. An experiment conducted by the present inventors revealed that a time required for stopping the movement after the detection of the contact can be reduced to be considerably small, and that the cutting blade or the object is not damaged by a minimized inertial motion or overrunning of the cutting blade and/or the object. It is noted that the term xe2x80x9ccutting bladexe2x80x9d may be interpreted to be constituted by the entirety of a cutting tool, for example, where the cutting tool consists of a solid tool which is commonly made of a single material, or may be interpreted to be constituted by a portion of a cutting tool, for example, where the cutting tool includes a main body and a cutting tip or insert which is commonly made of a material different from that of the main body. In either of the former and latter cases, the cutting blade includes at least a cutting edge and an adjacent portion of the cutting tool which portion is adjacent to the cutting edge.
(2) A method of controlling a relative movement of a cutting blade and a workpiece which are moved relative to each other by a movement device in an operation with a machine tool, the method comprising a step of bringing the cutting blade and an object into contact with each other, by moving at least one of the cutting blade and the object toward each other by the movement device, and a step of controlling the relative movement on the basis of a relative position of the cutting blade and the object which is detected by the movement device upon the contact of the cutting blade and the object with each other, the method further comprising:
a first-circuit preparing step of preparing a first circuit which includes the object and the cutting blade arranged in series to each other and which is connected to a power source, the first circuit being closed when the cutting blade and the object are in contact with each other, while being open when the cutting blade and the object are not in contact with each other;
a second-circuit preparing step of preparing a second circuit which includes a resistance and which is connected in parallel with the first circuit, the second circuit being closed irrespective of whether the cutting blade and the object are in contact with each other or not;
a checking step of detecting a state of the power source by a power source detector when the first circuit is open, and checking if each of the power source and the power source detector is in a normal condition; and
a contact-position determining step of determining, as a contact position in which the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other, the relative position of the cutting blade and the object when the state of the power source detected by the power source detector indicates transition from an open state in which the first circuit is open, to a closed state in which the first circuit is closed.
In the method according to this mode (2), when the cutting blade and the object are not in contact with each other, an electric current flows through the second circuit but does not flow through the first circuit since the first circuit is held open. On the other hand, when the cutting blade and the object are in contact with each other, the first circuit is closed so that the electric current flows through the fist circuit as well as through the second circuit. In this instance, an amount of the flowing electric current is increased since the first and second circuits are connected in parallel with respect to the electric power. In view of this, for preventing the electric power or the detector from being damaged by the flow of an excessively increased amount of the electric current, it is preferable to employ, as the power source, a power source having a current limiter which restricts the flow of the electric current to a certain amount, or alternatively provide a resistance having a certain resistance value in the first circuit. The resistance to be provided in the first circuit may be constituted by a suitable device such as a fixed or variable resistor, or a main body portion of the machine tool, which is connected to the first circuit so that a resistance inherently contained in the main body portion of the machine tool acts on the first circuit. In any one of these cases, it is preferable that the resistance of the second circuit has a value not smaller than that of the resistance of the first circuit, or more preferable that the former has a value much larger than that of the latter, so that the open state in which the first circuit is open can be easily distinguishable from the closed state in which the first circuit is closed, on the basis of change of the amount of the flowing electric current.
However, it should be noted that the value of the resistance of the second circuit has to be sufficiently small such that the flowing electric current can be easily detectable by the detector even where the electric current flows only through the second circuit, for enabling the detector to surely detect a failure state in which the electric current can not flow through the second circuit, for example, due to a failure of the power source or the detector, or due to a disconnection or damage of a conductive member such as a lead wire. That is, in this arrangement, the detector does not fail to detect such a failure state in which the contact of the cutting blade with the object is not detectable. The relative movement of the cutting blade and the object toward each other under the failure state is advantageously prevented, thereby avoiding a risk of damage of the cutting blade or the object, which could be caused if the relative movement is erroneously continued even after the contact of the cutting blade with the object.
(3) A method according to mode (2), wherein the checking step is implemented to detect a value of an electric current flowing from the power source when the first circuit is open, and determine that each of the power source detector and the power source is in the normal condition if the detected value of the electric current is not smaller than a predetermined first value which is larger than zero and is not larger than a predetermined second value which is larger than the predetermined first value.
The detection of the state of the electric power may be achieved in various manners. For example, where an electric voltage between output terminals of the power source is momentarily reduced at the moment of an abrupt increase of the amount of the flowing electric current upon closing of the first circuit, it is possible to detect the contact of the cutting blade with the object, by detecting the reduction of the electric voltage. However, the contact of the cutting blade with the object can be easier and more reliably detected by detecting an abrupt increase of the electric current supplied from the power source on the basis of the output of an electric current detector, rather than detecting the reduction of the electric voltage.
(4) A method according to mode (3), wherein the contact-position determining step is implemented to determine, as the contact position, the relative position of the cutting blade and the object when the value of the electric current flowing from the power source exceeds a predetermined third value which is larger than the predetermined second value.
The predetermined third amount is preferably larger than the amount of the electric current flowing through the first circuit when a cutting point of the cutting blade and the a surface of the workpiece connected to each other via a cutting fluid. Where the cutting blade and the object are brought into proximity to each other with at least one of them being wet with the cutting fluid, the first circuit is almost closed by the cutting fluid even before the contact of them, leading to an increase in the amount of the flowing electric current. Therefore, it is preferable that the predetermined third amount is sufficiently large such that such an increase in the amount of the electric current due to the cutting fluid does not provide an erroneous determination that the cutting blade and the object are in contact with each other.
(5) A method of controlling a relative movement of a cutting blade and a workpiece which are moved relative to each other by a movement device in an operation with a machine tool, the method comprising a step of bringing the cutting blade and an object into contact with each other, by moving at least one of the cutting blade and the object toward each other by the movement device, and a step of controlling the relative movement on the basis of a relative position of the cutting blade and the object which is detected by the movement device upon the contact of the cutting blade and the object with each other, the method further comprising:
a resistance-circuit preparing step of preparing a resistance circuit in which the object and the cutting blade are connectable to each other via a first resistance which has a predetermined first resistance value;
a checking step of checking if a value of an electric resistance acting between the object and the cutting blade is substantially equal to the predetermined first resistance value of the first resistance when the cutting blade and the object are not in contact with each other; and
a contact determining step of determining that the cutting blade and the object have been brought into contact with each other when the value of the electric resistance acting between the object and the cutting blade is reduced to be smaller than a predetermined second resistance value which is smaller than the first resistance value.
(6) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(5), wherein the object consists of the workpiece which is fixed to the machine tool.
(7) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(5), wherein the object consists of a master workpiece which is fixed to the machine tool.
The master workpiece may have a dimension substantially identical to a desired dimension of a product which is to be formed from the workpiece, or may have a dimension different from the desired dimension of the product. In the latter case, it is possible to use the single master workpiece as a common master workpiece, for operations in which various kinds of products having different desired dimensions are formed from respective workpieces.
(8) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(5), wherein the object consists of a reference portion of the machine tool.
(9) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(8), wherein the cutting blade consists of a cutting insert attached to a main body of a cutting tool, the main body including a shank portion and cooperating with the cutting insert to constitute the cutting tool.
(10) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(8), wherein the cutting blade consists of at least a part of a rotary cutting tool which is attached to a tool spindle of the machine tool.
(11) A method according to mode (10), wherein the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other while the rotary cutting tool is being rotated.
(12) A method according to any one of modes (2)-(4), wherein the resistance of the second circuit is connected between two mutually-insulated members, the method further comprising a covering step of covering a surface of at least one of the two mutually-insulated members, with an insulating layer made of an electrically insulating material, for preventing the state of the power source from erroneously indicating the transition from the open state to the closed state when the two mutually-insulated members are shorted to each other by a substance sticking to the mutually-insulated members while the cutting blade and the object are not in contact with each other.
This arrangement is effective to prevent an erroneous determination of the transition from the open state to the closed state when the two-mutually insulated members are shorted to each other by the sticking substance such as a cutting fluid and cutting chips, namely, when the two members are connected through a by-passing passage which is formed of the sticking substance and which is positioned in parallel with the resistance of the second circuit. It is noted that the technique, defined in this mode (12), of covering the surface of a member or members with the insulating layer may be applied to each of the methods defined in the above-described modes (5)-(11).
(13) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(12), further comprising a breakage determining step of determining that there is a possibility that the cutting blade has been damaged, if the contact of the cutting blade and the object is not detected while the relative position detected by the movement device satisfies a positional condition required for the contact of the cutting blade and the object.
In the method defined in this mode (13), it is determined that the cutting blade has been possibly damaged if the contact of the cutting blade and the object is not detected while the relative position detected by the movement device satisfies the positional relationship required for achieving the contact of the cutting blade and the object. That is, this determination is made, for example, in a case where the contact is not detected by the contact detecting device which is kept activated while the cutting blade and the workpiece as the object have been apparently moved relative to each other to a relative position in which they should be in contact with each other in a process of their relative movement toward each other in an initiation of a cutting operation, or in a case where the contact is not detected by the contact detecting device which is still kept activated for detecting contact while the workpiece is being cut by the cutting blade during a cutting operation. An operator, when this determination is made, can take a necessary procedure after checking the condition of the cutting blade, for example, in response to an activation of an alarm light or an alarm buzzer informing the operator that the cutting blade has been possibly damaged. In the method of this mode (13), the possible damage of the cutting blade is easily detected. It is preferable that the relative movement of the cutting blade and the workpiece is automatically stopped immediately after the determination of the possible damage of the cutting blade has been made.
(14) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(13), further comprising a touch-probe detecting step of detecting a contact of the object and a touch probe which is provided to be unmovable relative to the cutting blade.
The use of the touch probe makes it possible to detect a position which is impossible or difficult to be detected with the use of the cutting blade. For example, in an operation with a lathe, it is possible to detect the position of an axis of the workpiece or the master workpiece which is fixed to a chuck of the lathe, by bringing a spherical contact end of the touch probe in contact with two portions of an outer circumferential surface of the workpiece or master workpiece which portions are diametrically opposed to each other. Detecting such a position as the axis is impossible or difficult by using the cutting blade. After the position of the axis of the workpiece or master workpiece has been detected, the relative movement of the cutting blade and the workpiece can be controlled on the basis of the detected position of the axis, if a position of the cutting blade relative to the touch probe is known. It is preferable but not essential that the touch probe is checked before the touch probe is brought into contact with the workpiece or master workpiece in substantially the same manner as in the above-described checking step. Where the step of checking the tough probe is implemented, the implementation of the above-described checking step is not essential.
(15) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(14), wherein the contact determining step includes an actual-contact determining step of determining that the cutting blade and the object are actually brought into contact with each other when a predetermined first condition is satisfied, and wherein the predetermined first condition is different from a predetermined second condition which is required to determine that the cutting blade and the object are spaced apart from each other and are shorted to each other by a cutting fluid, so that an actual contact of the cutting blade and the object is distinguishable from a short of the cutting blade and the object by the cutting fluid.
In the method defined in this mode (15), the predetermined first and second conditions may include respective first and second output-value-related requirements that a value of the output provided by the contact detecting device is held in respective first and second predetermined ranges which are different from each other. For example, the value of the output may consist of a value of flowing electric current. In this case, a lower limit of the first predetermined range is adapted to be larger than that of the second predetermined range, since the value of the flowing electric current is larger when the cutting blade and the object are actually brought into contact with each other, than when they are shorted to each other by the cutting fluid which inherently has a certain degree of resistance.
(16) A method of controlling a relative movement of a cutting blade and a workpiece which are moved relative to each other by a movement device in an operation with a machine tool, the method comprising a step of bringing the cutting blade and an object into contact with each other, by moving at least one of the cutting blade and the object toward each other by the movement device, and a step of controlling the relative movement on the basis of a relative position of the cutting blade and the object which is detected by the movement device upon the contact of the cutting blade and the object with each other,
wherein the object consists of the workpiece which is fixed to the machine tool, the method further comprising:
a dimension measuring step of measuring a dimension of the workpiece on the basis of the relative position of the cutting blade and the workpiece as the object upon the contact of the cutting blade and the workpiece as the object with each other, so that the relative movement is controllable on the basis of the measured dimension of the workpiece.
There is known a sizing or measuring device which is attached to a machine tool so as to measure a dimension of a workpiece without removing the workpiece from a workpiece holder holding the workpiece. Data representative of the measured dimension are utilized in a cutting operation so that the relative movement of the cutting blade and the workpiece is controlled on the basis of the data. This controlling method with the measuring device is effective, particularly, for an operation in which a high degree of dimensional accuracy is required. However, such a measuring device is commonly cable of measuring a relatively narrow range of dimension of the workpiece. On the other hand, the method of this mode (16) makes it possible to accurately measure a relatively wide range of dimension of the workpiece, owing to the arrangement in which the cutting blade is used as a contact probe brought into contact with the workpiece, a portion of the movement device for moving at least one of the cutting blade and the workpiece relative to each other is used to move the cutting blade serving as the contact probe, and a portion of the movement device for detecting the relative position of the cutting blade and the workpiece is used as a scale for determining the dimension. The present method is accordingly useful to, particularly, a case where it is required to machine a workpiece having a plurality of portions having respective target dimensions which are considerably different from each other, or machine a plurality of workpieces having respective target dimensions which are considerably different from each other, with high precision. It is noted that the method of this mode (16) can be carried out together with any one or any combinations of the methods defined in the above-described modes (1)-(15).
(17) A method according to any one of modes (1)-(16), wherein the cutting blade is held by a blade holding member, and wherein the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other while a conductive layer having an electrical conductivity is provided in at least one of a space between the cutting blade and the blade holding member, and a space between the cutting blade and the object.
The method defined in each of the above-described modes (1)-(16) can be carried out together with any one or any combinations of methods defined in modes (34)-(50) which are described below. It is noted that the term xe2x80x9cblade holding memberxe2x80x9d may be interpreted to mean a main body of a cutting tool, for example, where the cutting tool includes the main body and the cutting blade in the form of a cutting insert which is held by the main body, or may be interpreted to mean a cutting-tool holding member such as a tool turret or tool holder of a machine tool, for example, where the cutting blade is provided by the entirety of a cutting tool such as a solid tool.
(18) An apparatus for controlling a relative movement of a cutting blade and a workpiece which are moved relative to each other by a movement device in an operation with a machine tool, the apparatus controlling the relative movement on the basis of a relative position of the cutting blade and an object which is detected by the movement device when the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other as a result of a relative movement of the cutting blade and the object which is made by the movement device, the apparatus comprising:
a checking device which checks if a contact detecting device for detecting contact of the cutting blade and the object is in a normal condition in which the contact detecting device detects the contact when the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other; and
a contact determining device which determines that the cutting blade and the object have been brought into contact with each other, in accordance with an output provided by the contact detecting device.
The method defined in the above-described mode (1) can be advantageously carried out by using the apparatus defined in this mode (18).
(19) An apparatus for controlling a relative movement of a cutting blade and a workpiece which are moved relative to each other by a movement device in an operation with a machine tool, the apparatus controlling the relative movement on the basis of a relative position of the cutting blade and an object which is detected by the movement device when the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other as a result of a relative movement of the cutting blade and the object which is made by the movement device, the apparatus comprising:
a first circuit which includes the object and the cutting blade arranged in series to each other and which is connected to a power source, the first circuit being closed when the cutting blade and the object are in contact with each other, while being open when the cutting blade and the object are not in contact with each other;
a second circuit which includes a resistance and which is connected in parallel with the first circuit, the second circuit being closed irrespective of whether the cutting blade and the object are in contact with each other or not;
a power source detector which detects a state of the power source; and
a control device which commands the movement device to move the cutting blade and the object relative to each other if each of the power source and the power source detector is indicated normal by the power source detector when the first circuit is open, the control device controlling the movement device on the basis of the relative position of the cutting blade and the object which is detected by the movement device when the state of the power source detected by the power source detector indicates transition from an open state in which the first circuit is open, to a closed state in which the first circuit is closed.
The method defined in the above-described mode (2) can be advantageously carried out by using the apparatus defined in this mode (19).
(20) An apparatus according to mode (19), further comprising an insulator which electrically insulates a main body portion of the machine tool from the cutting blade wherein the resistance is connected between the main body portion, and at least one of the cutting blade and a member which has an electrical continuity with the cutting blade.
(21) An apparatus according to mode (19), further comprising an insulator which electrically insulates a main body portion of the machine tool from a workpiece holding member which holds the workpiece, wherein the resistance is connected between the main body portion, and at least one of the workpiece holding member and a member which has an electrical continuity with the workpiece holding member.
The term xe2x80x9cmain body portion of the machine toolxe2x80x9d recited in the modes (20) and (20) may be interpreted to include not only a main structure of the machine tool but also all components of the machine tool which have an electrically continuity with the main structure of the machine tool. That is, all components of the machine tool, located on one of opposite sides of the insulator which one is closer to the main structure rather than to the cutting blade, are included in the xe2x80x9cmain body portionxe2x80x9d.
(22) An apparatus according to any one of modes (19)-(21), wherein the resistance includes a resistive layer which is interposed between members each made of an electrically conductive material.
The second circuit can be easily prepared by interposing the resistive layer between the members such as the components of the main body portion, a cutting-blade holding member, a cutting-tool holding member and a workpiece holding member each of which is commonly made of a steel, brass or other material having a high degree of electric conductivity. However, a fixing device, which is provided for fixing the members positioned on respective opposite sides of the resistive layer, has to be adapted to firmly fix the members relative to the resistive layer while preventing the members from having an electrical continuity with each other. If the resistive layer has a function of bonding the members to the layer itself, the provision of the fixing device is not necessary.
(23) An apparatus according to any one of modes (19)-(21), wherein the resistance consists of a resistor including a resistive body and a pair of terminals which are respectively disposed in opposite ends of the resistive body.
It is relatively difficult to adjust the electric resistance acting on the second circuit to accurately have a desired value, by using the resistive layer defined in the mode (23), due to the arrangement in which the resistive layer is held in contact at wide surfaces thereof with the members positioned on the respective opposite sides of the resistive layer. The value of the electric resistance provided by the resistive layer is likely to be changed depending upon an area of each of the contact surfaces of the layer. However, the resistor defined in this mode (23) makes it easy to adapt the electric resistance acting on the second circuit to accurately have a desired value.
(24) An apparatus according to any one of modes (19), (20) and (23), wherein the resistance is built in one of a cutting tool which includes at least the cutting blade, and a tool holding member which holds the cutting tool.
In general, cutting tools can be classified into two types. A cutting tool of one of the two types is constituted by a main body and a cutting blade in the form of a replaceable cutting insert which is removably fixed to the main body. Another type of cutting tool, which is commonly called a solid tool, is constituted by a single piece whose entirety can be considered to correspond to a cutting blade. A cutting tool constituted by a main body and a cutting blade in the form of an insert or tip which is fixedly welded or brazed to the main body could be interpreted to correspond to the above-described one type. However, for the sake of explanation, such a cutting tool having a brazed tip is defined as a kind of solid tool, namely, interpreted to correspond to the above-described another type in the descriptions of this specification. Therefore, in the descriptions, the cutting tool including the main body and the cutting blade is interpreted to mean a cutting tool including a main body and a replaceable cutting blade which is removably attached to the main body by suitable clamping means and which cooperates with the main body to constitute the cutting tool.
(25) An apparatus according to mode (21), wherein the resistance consists of a resistor built in one of a workpiece holding member which holds the workpiece, and a component of a main body portion of the machine tool.
(26) An apparatus according to any one of modes (19)-(24), further comprising:
an insulator which electrically insulates a main body portion of the machine tool, from one of the cutting blade and the workpiece;
a first conductive passage which is connected at one of opposite ends thereof to the one of the cutting blade and the workpiece, and which is connected at the other of the opposite ends to the power source;
a second conductive passage which connects the power source to the main body portion of the machine tool;
a current detector which detects an electric current flowing through the first circuit that includes the first and second conductive passages; and
a third conductive passage which connects the one of the cutting blade and the workpiece, to the main body portion of the machine tool via the resistance, the third conductive passage being included in the second circuit,
wherein the third conductive passage is shorter than the first conductive passage.
The length of the first conductive passage can be reduced by disposing the power source in the vicinity of the cutting blade. The reduction of the length of the first conductive passage makes it possible to form the first conductive passage with a conductive member having a reduced length, thereby reducing a risk of disconnection or damage of the conductive member. However, in general, the first conductive passage requires to have a certain degree of length, because of a difficulty of disposing the power source and the detector in the vicinity of the cutting blade, or because of necessity of disposing the power source and the detector in positions distant from the cutting blade in the interest of minimizing splashing of the cutting fluid and cutting chips over the power source and the detector which can be easily damaged. That is, for these reasons, it is not easy to reduce the length of the first conductive passage. On the other hand, the third conductive passage can be easily adapted to have a small length, since the resistance provided in the third conductive passage is not easily damaged by the splashing of the cutting fluid and cutting chips. In the event of damage or disconnection of the third conductive passage, the control device determines that the electric power, the detector or the first conductive passage is not in a normal condition even if each of these components is actually in the normal condition, and accordingly inhibit the movement device from carrying out the relative movement of the cutting blade and the object toward each other. In this sense, it is preferable to minimize the length of the third conductive passage, for reducing a possibility of the damage or disconnection of the third conductive passage.
(27) An apparatus according to mode (26), wherein the resistance consists of a resistor including a resistive body and a pair of terminals which are respectively disposed in opposite ends of the resistive body, and wherein the resistor and the third conductive passage are built in one of a cutting tool which includes at least the cutting blade, and a tool holding member which holds the cutting tool.
In the apparatus of this mode (27) in which the third conductive passage, as well as the resistor, is built in one of the cutting tool and the tool holding member, the third conductive passage is protected by the one of the cutting tool and the tool holding member, thereby avoiding a risk of the damage or disconnection of the third conductive passage. The mode (28) described blow provides substantially the same technical advantage.
(28) An apparatus according to mode (26), wherein the resistance consists of a resistor including a resistive body and a pair of terminals which are respectively disposed in opposite ends of the resistive body, and wherein the resistor and the third conductive passage are built in one of a workpiece holding member which holds the workpiece, and a component of a main body portion of the machine tool.
(29) An apparatus according to any one of modes (19)-(28), wherein the resistance of the second circuit is connected between two members, and wherein at least one of the two members is covered, at at least a portion of a surface thereof which portion is adjacent to a surface of the other of the two members, with an insulating layer which is made of an electrically insulating material.
(30) An apparatus according to any one of modes (19)-(29), further comprising:
a touch probe which is provided to be unmovable relative to the cutting blade, and;
an on-off circuit which includes an object and the touch probe arranged in series to each other and which is connected to a power source, the on-off circuit being closed when the touch probe and the object are in contact with each other, while being open when the touch probe and the object are not in contact with each other.
At least one of the object and the power source which are recited in this mode (30) may be provided by the object and/or the power source which are recited in the above-described modes, or alternately, may be provided by another object and/or another power source. It is noted that the apparatus of this mode (30) may further include (a) a movement device which moves the touch probe and the cutting blade relative to the workpiece, and/or which moves the workpiece relative to the touch probe and the cutting blade, (b) a third circuit which includes a resistance and which is connected in parallel with said on-off circuit, said third circuit being closed irrespective of whether said touch probe and said object are in contact with each other or not, (c) a power source detector which detects a state of said power source; and (d) a control device which commands said movement device to move said touch probe and said object relative to each other if each of said power source and said power source detector is indicated normal by said power source detector when said on-off circuit is open, said control device controlling said movement device on the basis of said relative position of said touch probe and said object which is detected by said movement device when said state of said power source detected by said power source detector indicates transition from an open state in which said on-off circuit is open, to a closed state in which said on-off circuit is closed.
(31) An apparatus according to any one of modes (19)-(30), wherein the control device determines that the cutting blade and the object are actually brought into contact with each other when a predetermined first condition is satisfied, and wherein the predetermined first condition is different from a predetermined second condition which is required to determine that the cutting blade and the object are spaced apart from each other and are shorted to each other by a cutting fluid, so that an actual contact of the cutting blade and the object is distinguishable from a short of the cutting blade and the object by the cutting fluid.
(32) An apparatus according to any one of modes (19)-(31), wherein the control device include a breakage determining portion which determines that there is a possibility that the cutting blade has been damaged, if the contact of the cutting blade and the object is not detected while the relative position detected by the movement device satisfies a positional condition required for the contact of the cutting blade and the object.
(33) An apparatus according to any one of modes (18)-(32), wherein the cutting blade is held by a blade holding member, and wherein the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other while a conductive layer having an electrical conductivity is provided in at least one of a space between the cutting blade and the blade holding member, and a space between the cutting blade and the object.
The apparatus defined in each of the above-described modes (18)-(32) can be carried out together with any one or any combinations of cutting blades defined in modes (51)-(57), a master workpiece defined in mode (58), and a conductive sheet defined in mode (59), which are described below.
The method or apparatus defined in each of the above-described modes (1)-(33) can be carried out together with any one or any combinations of method, cutting blade, master workpiece, or conductive sheet defined in each of the following modes (34)-(59).
(34) A method of detecting contact and separation of a cutting blade held by a blade holding member, with and from an object, on the basis of a change of a state of an electric circuit which is changed depending upon whether the cutting blade is in contact with the object or is separated from the object, the method comprising:
a step of bringing the cutting blade and the object into contact with each other, while a conductive layer having an electrical conductivity is provided in at least one of a space between the cutting blade and the blade holding member, and a space between the cutting blade and the object.
The conductive layer, which is interposed between the cutting blade and the blade holding member and/or between the cutting blade and the object, for example, may take the form of a conductive coating bonded to a surface of the cutting blade, the blade holding member or the object; a local conductive coating bonded to a local portion of the cutting blade such as a portion including a cutting edge and an adjacent part adjacent to the cutting edge; or a conductive sheet.
With the provision of the conductive layer between the cutting blade and the object, the cutting blade and the object are brought into contact with each other, necessarily through the conductive layer interposed therebetween. The conductive layer does not impede the detection of the contact of the cutting blade and the object, and advantageously eliminates a risk of chipping of the cutting blade and a risk of damage or undesirable cut of the object, which might be caused where the cutting blade and the object are contacted directly with each other. It is considered that the xe2x80x9cindirectxe2x80x9d contact position in which the two members are contacted with each other through the conductive layer is offset from a xe2x80x9cdirectxe2x80x9d contact position in which the two members are contacted directly with each other, by an amount corresponding to a thickness of the conductive layer. However, where the thickness of the conductive layer is small enough to satisfy a required machining accuracy, the indirect contact position can be taken as the direct contact position. Where the thickness of the conductive layer is not small enough, a position offset from the indirect contact position by the amount corresponding to the thickness of the conductive layer can be taken as the direct position.
Where the conductive coating is bonded to one of the cutting blade and the object which are provided by respective conductive members each having a high degree of electrical conductivity, the conductive coating can be advantageously made of a soft or brittle material, or alternatively made of a material having a predetermined degree of electric resistance. In the former case, it is preferable that the conductive coating is constructed such that a portion of the conductive coating which portion covers a cutting edge and its adjacent portion of the cutting blade is destroyed rapidly upon initiation of a cutting operation. In this case, the conductive coating formed on the cutting blade is brought into contact with the workpiece shortly before the initiation of cutting of the workpiece with the cutting blade, so that the contact of the conductive coating with the workpiece is detected before cutting blade starts to cut the workpiece. However, it is not desirable that a portion of the conductive coating covering cutting edge or edges not currently serving to cut the workpiece is destroyed due to contact of such a portion of the coating with cutting chips or other substances. For preventing such a destruction of the portion of the coating which cover the currently unused cutting edge or edges, it is preferable that a degree of strength of the conductive coating is held in a predetermined range. In the latter case, i.e., where the conductive coating is made of a material having a predetermined degree of electric resistance, it is possible to avoid flow of an excessively high amount of electric current through contact portions of the cutting blade and the object at which the two members are brought into contact with each other. In this sense, the conductive coating made of the resistive material can be considered as a kind of electrically resistive coating.
The conductive coating covering the cutting edge and its adjacent portion may be made of a material, which is selected among a plurality of materials having respective electric resistance values different from each other, depending upon kind of the cutting blade. In this arrangement, an amount of change in value of an electric current or an electric resistance representative of the state of the electric circuit upon the contact of the cutting blade with the object varies depending upon the kind of the cutting blade. It is accordingly possible to identify the kind of the cutting blade on the basis of the amount of change in the value of the electric current flowing through the electric circuit, or on the basis of the amount of change in the value of the electric resistance acting on the electric circuit. For example, the amount of change in value of the electric current or resistance can be detected by a suitable detector so that the detected amount of change is compared with a predetermined amount of change corresponding to a correct cutting blade, i.e., a cutting blade designated in a cutting operation program. If the detected amount of change is different from the predetermined amount of change, it is determined that the cutting blade which has been brought into contact with the object is not the correct cutting blade, namely, it is determined that the cutting blade in question is a wrong cutting blade which has been attached to the blade holding member by mistake. Such an identification of the cutting tool can be made by comparing the value itself of the electric current or resistance in stead of the amount of change in value of the electric current or resistance. That is, irrespective of whether the amount of change in the value or the value itself is checked, it is possible to determine if the cutting blade attached to the blade holding member and brought into contact with the object is a currently required cutting blade or not, simply by detecting or measuring the value of the electric current or resistance in the electric circuit including, for example, the object, the conductive layer, the cutting blade and the blade holding member which are arranged in series. In this arrangement, it is important that the material forming the conductive layer has a suitable resistance value. In this sense, the conductive coating can be considered as a kind of electrically resistive coating.
Where at least a contact portion of one of the cutting blade and the object at which portion the one of the two members is brought into contact with the other is made of an electrically insulating material, the conductive layer is formed to cover at least the contact portion. This arrangement is effective to provide the electrically insulating contact portion with an electric conductivity, as well as a resistance to chipping or damage of the cutting blade. For example, where the cutting blade is provided by a cutting insert made of a ceramic material which has a high degree of electric resistance or does not have an electric conductivity, such a ceramic cutting insert may be covered at its entirety with a conductive layer so that the ceramic cutting insert can be used as a conductive cutting insert having a high degree of electric conductivity. Where a rake face (which cooperates with a flank face adjacent to the rake face, to define a cutting edge or point at an intersection of the rake and flank faces) of the cutting blade is covered with a diamond sintered body or CBN (cubic boron nitrides) sintered body, such a sintered body and its adjacent portion may be covered with a conductive layer so that contact of a cutting point of the cutting blade with the object can be detected. In this arrangement, it is important that the material forming the conductive layer has a sufficient degree of electric conductivity. However, the conductive layer can be adapted to have a predetermined electric resistance value in addition to the sufficient degree of electric conductivity, if needed.
Further, the conductive layer may be provided in the space between the cutting blade and the blade holding member, in addition to or in place of the space between the cutting blade and the object. For example, where the conductive layer is interposed between the cutting blade and the blade holding member both of which have a high degree of electrical conductivity, a contact of the cutting blade and the object provides a change in the state of the electric circuit. Such a change in the state of the electric circuit upon the contact of the two members is influenced by the conductive layer. Where the electric circuit is constructed such that an electric current flows through the conductive layer, as described below in mode (36), a value of the electric current flowing through the conductive layer varies depending upon a surface area of the conductive layer, particularly, if the conductive layer is made of a material having a high degree of electric resistance. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the cutting blade brought into contact with the object is a correct cutting blade, namely, whether or not the cutting blade currently attached in the blade holding member is a currently required blade in accordance with a cutting operation program. Still further, the conductive layer may be formed on a contact surface of the cutting blade which is held in contact with the blade holding member such that a value of electric resistance of the conductive layer is different from that of a conductive layer that is formed on other cutting tool. This arrangement permits the amount of change in the state of the electric circuit upon the contact, to vary from cutting blade to cutting blade, thereby making it possible to identify the cutting tool actually brought into contact with the object and accordingly to determine whether or not the cutting blade currently attached in the blade holding member is a currently required blade in accordance with a cutting operation program.
(35) A method according to mode (34), wherein the contact and the separation are detected on the basis of transition from an open state in which an on-off circuit as the electric circuit is open, to a closed state in which the on-off circuit is closed, and wherein the on-off circuit includes at least the cutting blade, the object and a power source which are arranged in series to each other, the on-off circuit being open when the cutting blade is separated from the object while being closed when the cutting blade is in contact with the object.
The method of this mode (35) can be advantageously practiced, particularly, where the cutting blade constitutes the entirety of a cutting tool, namely, where the cutting tool consists of a solid tool.
(36) A method according to mode (34), wherein the contact and the separation are detected on the basis of transition from an open state in which an on-off circuit is open, to a closed state in which the on-off circuit is closed, and wherein the on-off circuit includes at least the blade holding member, the cutting blade, the object and a power source which are arranged in series to each other, the on-off circuit being open when the cutting blade is separated from the object while being closed when the cutting blade is in contact with the object.
The method of this mode (36) can be advantageously practiced, particularly, where the cutting blade constitutes a portion of a cutting tool, namely, where the cutting tool includes a main body to which the cutting blade is removably attached. That is, this method can be advantageously, for example, where the cutting blade is provided by a replaceable cutting insert which is replaceably attached to a main body of a cutting tool designed for a turning (lathe), milling, drilling, reaming, boring or other cutting operation.
(37) A method according to any one of modes (34)-(36), wherein the conductive layer consists of a conductive coating which covers a surface of the cutting blade.
The conductive layer may take the form of the conductive coating covering the surface of the cutting blade. This arrangement facilitates the interposition of the conductive layer between the cutting blade and the blade holding member, or between the cutting blade and the object. For example, by covering all the surface of the cutting blade with the conductive coating, the conductive layer can be easily interposed between the cutting blade and the blade holding member and at the same time between the cutting blade and the object. However, the conductive coating does not have to cover necessarily all the surface of the cutting blade, but may cover only the cutting edge and its adjacent portion of the cutting blade, or alternatively, only at least a portion of a contact surface of the cutting blade at which surface the cutting blade is held in contact with the blade holding member, irrespective of whether the cutting blade is of a lathe cutting tool or of a rotary cutting tool.
(38) A method according to any one of modes (35)-(37), wherein the conductive layer consists of a conductive coating which covers a contact surface of the object which surface is in contact with the cutting blade.
This arrangement in which the conductive coating covers the object in stead of the cutting blade also facilitates the interposition of the conductive layer between the cutting blade and the object.
(39) A method according to mode (38), wherein the object consists of a master workpiece which has a known dimension and which is held by a workpiece holding device that is provided for holding a workpiece to be cut by the cutting blade.
(40) A method according to mode (35) or (36), wherein the conductive layer consists of a conductive sheet which is positioned to be interposed between the cutting blade and the object when the cutting blade and the object are in contact with each other.
The use of the conductive sheet makes it possible to interpose the conductive layer between the cutting blade and the object, even where neither the cutting blade nor the object is covered with the conductive layer or coating.
(41) A method according to any one of modes (34)-(36), wherein the cutting blade is provided by at least a cutting edge of a rotary cutting tool which is to be rotated about an axis thereof for cutting a workpiece, and an adjacent portion of the rotary cutting tool which portion is adjacent to the cutting edge,
wherein the cutting edge and the adjacent portion is covered with a conductive coating as the conductive layer,
and wherein the rotary cutting tool is brought into contact with the object while the rotary cutting tool is being rotated.
The cutting blade may constitute the entirety of the cutting tool, or may cooperate with the main body to constitute the cutting tool. In the later case, the cutting blade may take the form of a replaceable cutting blade which is removably attached to the main body. In either of these cases, the contact of the rotary cutting tool and the object can be detected without necessity of bringing the cutting edge of the tool into direct contact with the object.
(42) A method according to mode (41), wherein the rotary cutting tool is brought into contact with the object while the rotary cutting tool is being rotated at a velocity substantially equal to that at which the rotary cutting tool is rotated in a cutting operation for cutting the workpiece.
The method of this mode (42) makes it possible to accurately detect the contact position in which the rotary cutting tool and the object are brought into contact with each other, even where the cutting tool has a plurality of cutting edges whose respective radial distances from the rotary axis are different from each other. In other words, this method makes it possible to determine, as the contact position, the relative position in which the object is brought into contact with one of the cutting edges which has a larger radial distance from the rotary axis than the other cutting edges. Further, since the velocity at which the cutting tool is rotated as it is brought into contact with the object is adapted to substantially equal to the velocity at which the cutting tool is rotated in the cutting operation, the contact position is detected under the same conditions (e.g., vibrations caused by the rotation of the cutting tool) as in the cutting operation. Therefore, the control of the relative movement of the cutting blade and the workpiece on the basis of the contact position which is obtained in this method provides a further improvement in the dimensional accuracy of the product.
(43) A method according to any one of modes (34)-(36), wherein the conductive layer consists of a resistive coating which covers at least a cutting edge of the cutting blade and an adjacent portion of the cutting blade which portion is adjacent to the cutting edge, the method further comprising:
a cutting-blade identifying step of determining that the cutting blade is a currently required cutting blade if the state of the electric circuit satisfies a predetermined condition when the cutting blade is in contact with the object via the resistive coating, and determining that the cutting blade is not the currently required cutting blade if the state of the electric circuit does not satisfy the predetermined condition when the cutting blade is in contact with the object via the resistive coating, the predetermined condition including at least one of a current-value-related requirement that a value of electric current flowing through the electric circuit upon contact of the cutting blade with the object via the resistive coating is held in a predetermined range, and a resistance-value-related requirement that a value of electric resistance acting on the electric circuit upon the contact is held in a predetermined range.
(44) A method according to any one of modes (34)-(36), wherein the conductive layer consists of a resistive coating which covers at least a contact surface of the cutting blade that is held in contact with the blade holding member, the method further comprising:
a cutting-blade identifying step of determining that the cutting blade is a currently required cutting blade if the state of the electric circuit satisfies a predetermined condition when the cutting blade is in contact with the object via the resistive coating, and determining that the cutting blade is not the currently required cutting blade if the state of the electric circuit does not satisfy the predetermined condition when the cutting blade is in contact with the object via the resistive coating, the predetermined condition including at least one of a current-value-related requirement that a value of electric current flowing through the electric circuit upon contact of the cutting blade with the object via the resistive coating is held in a predetermined range, and a resistance-value-related requirement that a value of electric resistance acting on the electric circuit upon the contact is held in a predetermined range.
(45) A method according to any one of modes (34)-(36), wherein the cutting blade held by the blade holding member includes a cutting edge, an adjacent portion adjacent to the cutting edge and a contact surface held in contact with the blade holding member, and wherein at least the cutting edge, the adjacent portion and the contact surface of the cutting blade are covered with a conductive coating as the conductive layer, the method further comprising:
a moving step of moving at least one of the cutting blade and the object toward each other such that the cutting edge is brought into contact with the object via the conductive coating;
a memorizing step of memorizing, as a contact position, a relative position of the cutting blade and the object upon contact of the cutting edge with the object via the conductive coating;
a movement-controlling step of controlling a relative movement of the cutting blade and a workpiece which is to be cut by the cutting blade, on the basis of the contact position memorized in the memorizing step; and
a cutting-blade identifying step of determining that the cutting blade is not a currently required cutting blade if the state of the electric circuit including the workpiece, the cutting blade and the blade holding member which are arranged in series to each other, does not satisfy a predetermined condition when the conductive coating covering the cutting edge is destroyed due to contact of the cutting blade with the workpiece as a result of the relative movement of the cutting blade and the workpiece, wherein the predetermined condition includes at least one of a current-value-related requirement that a value of electric current flowing through the electric circuit upon destruction of the conductive coating is held in a predetermined range, and a resistance-value-related requirement that a value of electric resistance acting on the electric circuit upon destruction of the conductive coating is held in a predetermined range, the predetermined condition being determined to be not satisfied if the above-described at least one of the current-value-related requirement and the resistance-value-related requirement is not satisfied.
In the method of this mode (45) in which the relative position of the cutting blade and the object upon the contact of the two members via the conductive coating is taken as the contact position, the contact position can be detected without the object being undesirably cut by the cutting blade. Further, when the cutting blade is brought into direct contact with the workpiece as the result of the destruction of the conduct coating caused by the relative movement of the cutting blade and the workpiece toward each other, at least one of the values of the electric resistance and the electric current in the electric circuit is detected, so that it is determined that the cutting blade in question is not a currently required cutting blade if the detected value or values is not in the predetermined range or ranges.
(46) A method according to mode (45), wherein the object consists of the workpiece which is to be cut by the cutting blade.
In the method of this mode (46) in which the workpiece is used as the object, the detection of the contact position and the determination as to whether the cutting blade is a current required cutting blade or not can be made in an initial stage of the cutting operation.
(47) A method of identifying a plurality of cutting blades each including a cutting edge and an adjacent portion which is adjacent to the cutting edge, comprising:
a covering step of covering at least the cutting edge and the adjacent portion of each of the cutting blades with a resistive coating made of a material, which is selected among a plurality of materials having respective electric resistance values different from each other, depending upon kind of each of the cutting blades;
a blade setting step of setting one of the cutting blades in a blade holding member such that the one of the cutting blades is held by the blade holding member, for thereby forming an electric circuit including the one cutting blade, the blade holding member and an object which is contactable with and separable away from the cutting blade and which is arranged in series with the one cutting blade and the blade holding member; and
a blade identifying step of identifying kind of the one cutting blade which is currently held by the blade holding member, on the basis of a state of the electric circuit when the cutting edge of the cutting blade is in contact with the object via the resistive coating.
(48) A method of identifying a plurality of cutting blades each including a cutting edge and a contact surface which is held in contact with a blade holding member, comprising:
a covering step of covering at least the contact surface of each of the cutting blades with a resistive coating made of a material, which is selected among a plurality of materials having respective electric resistance values different from each other, depending upon kind of each of the cutting blades;
a blade setting step of setting one of the cutting blades in a blade holding member such that the one of the cutting blades is held at the contact surface by the blade holding member, for thereby forming an electric circuit including the one cutting blade, the blade holding member and an object which is contactable with and separable away from the cutting blade and which is arranged in series with the one cutting blade and the blade holding member; and
a blade identifying step of identifying kind of the one cutting blade which is currently held by the blade holding member, on the basis of a state of the electric circuit when the cutting edge of the cutting blade is in contact with the object.
The resistive coating may be adapted to cover the entire surface of the cutting blade, so that the cutting blade can be applied to the method defined in the above-described mode (47). However, it is preferable that a portion of the cutting blade which portion is brought into contact with the object is not covered with the resistive coating, for facilitating identification of the cutting blade. This is because, as described below in the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS, an electric resistance acting on a portion between the cutting blade and the object is likely to be considerably larger than that acting on a portion between the cutting blade and the blade holding member, and this relatively large electric resistance acting on the former portion makes the identification of the cutting blade difficult.
(49) A method according to mode (47) or (48), wherein the state of the electric circuit is represented by at least one of a value of electric current flowing through the electric circuit, and a value of electric resistance acting on the electric circuit.
(50) A method according to mode (49), further comprising a blade-selection checking step of determining that the one cutting blade is a currently required cutting blade if a predetermined condition is satisfied, and determining that the one cutting blade is not the currently required cutting blade if the predetermined condition is not satisfied, wherein the predetermined condition includes at least one of a current-value-related requirement that the value of the electric current is held in a predetermined range, and a resistance-value-related requirement that the value of the electric resistance is held in a predetermined range.
(51) A cutting blade which is removably held by a blade holding member, for thereby cutting a workpiece, the cutting blade being covered at at least a portion of a surface thereof with a conductive coating having an electrical conductivity.
(52) A cutting blade according to mode (51), wherein the conductive coating is made of a material whose electric resistance is larger than that of a material of the cutting blade.
(53) A cutting blade according to mode (51), wherein the conductive coating is made of a material whose electric resistance is smaller than that of a material of the cutting blade.
(54) A cutting blade according to any one of modes (51)-(53), being covered at all the surface with the conductive coating.
(55) A cutting blade according to any one of modes (51)-(54), consisting of a replaceable cutting insert which is replaceably attached to a main body of a cutting tool, the main body including a shank portion and cooperating with the replaceable cutting insert to constitute the cutting tool.
(56) A cutting blade according to any one of modes (51)-(56), consisting of a cutting edge of a rotary cutting tool, and an adjacent portion of the rotary cutting tool which portion is adjacent to the cutting edge, the rotary cutting tool being rotated about an axis thereof for achieving a cutting operation.
(57) A cutting blade according to mode (56), wherein the cutting edge and the adjacent portion are provided by a replaceable cutting insert which is replaceably attached to a main body of the rotary cutting tool, the main body including a shank portion and cooperating with the replaceable cutting insert to constitute the rotary cutting tool.
(58) A master workpiece which is to be held by a workpiece holding device serving for holding a workpiece to be cut by a cutting blade, and which is to be brought into contact with the cutting blade, the master workpiece having a known dimension and covered at a surface thereof with a conductive coating which has an electrical conductivity.
(59) A conductive sheet consisting of a sheet member which is made a material having an electrical conductivity.